Our mission is to develop and use our creative capacity to express the dignity and diversity of our Mexican heritage, from indigenous Mesoamerican roots to contemporary expressions, and to develop and celebrate our community through economic development, community building, community health and civic engagement.

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About our Organization

La Mujer Obrera is a local independent organization dedicated to creating communities defined by women. Our organization was founded in 1981 by women who were both garment workers and Chicana activists. Our experience showed us that as women we must implement our own ideas and strategies for our community. La Mujer Obrera has developed its organizing strategies based on the following basic human rights: employment, housing, education, nutrition, health, peace, and political liberty. Over the years, La Mujer Obrera has been one of the leaders in the struggle against an “undeclared war” on marginalized women workers of Mexican heritage.

Today La Mujer Obrera continues to challenge the perception that women are an infinite source of cheap labor and that progress means we are the ones who must sacrifice. We must see ourselves as being at the forefront of defining progress within our community. The struggle of women in the factories and resistance to NAFTA has strengthened us to create community. Our collective practice includes: cooking, raising our children, working the land, commerce, artisanry, and cultural celebrations. We need these practices to safeguard our ancestral knowledge and apply it to the present. This is our contribution as women workers in El Paso to the struggle for work, dignity, and justice. The space we are creating belongs to future generations of women and their families.

Our Programs

Our community farm helps us rediscover ways to respect and honor the land and in doing so we learn to respect and honor ourselves.

ARTS & CULTURE

We actively engage in discussions with artists to generate broader ideas about the future we envision in our community: a place where we can walk and play safely, where neighbors know one another, and where art and health are integrated into the fabric of life such as through community gardens with art and music workshops.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

Our objectives are to build the capacity of low-income women workers as advocates for themselves and their communities on the border. We work to increase public awareness about development issues, education, and environmental racism to ensure we have a voice.

Building Sustainable Social Enterprises

RAYITO DE SOL DAYCARE

In addition to providing quality care and education, the daycare also serves as a training facility for neighborhood women seeking childcare experience and aspiring business owners with plans of developing home-based childcare centers. 915-351-0600

LUMMETIK TRADING CO.

Lum Metik is guided by the following principles: solidarity, a just market, cultural diversity, economic growth and the empowerment of working women, indigenous women and women who produce traditional artisan products. For moe information about our partners in Mexico visit. laredniumatat.org

Café Mayapan providing jobs, training and experience for women workers of all ages; contributing to the local economy through its payroll and contracts with local vendors; and helping to revitalize the South Central neighborhood. 915-217-1126

MUJER OBRERA FARMERS MARKET

Established in 2011, the Mujer Obrera Farmers Market offers fresh, local grown produce. A variety of fruits and vegetables are sourced from the community and Mujer Obrera’s own community garden. The farmers market operates on a seasonal basis from June to October. 915-217-1126